Paddle-wheel



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN UPHAM VALLIS, OF DANVILLE, NEW' YORK.

PADDLE-WI-IEEL.

Specication of Letters Patent No. 13,190, dated July 3, 1855.

- reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of thisspecification,

p in which- Figure Lis a side view of a paddle wheel constructedaccording to my invention; Fig.

2, is a front view of the same.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in both gures.

This invention consists in a certain method of constructing the wheeland attaching and securing the floats or buckets whereby greatsimplicity of construction and great strength are combined.

A, is a wheel having a single central rim a, to the opposite sides ofwhich the paddle floats B, B, are attached. This wheel may be madeentirely of cast iron or partly of cast and partly of wrought iron, orpartly of iron and part-ly of wood. The floats B, B, may be of wood oriron, and are to be of trapeziform or of trapezoidal shape, the outerends being wider than the inner ends or those next to the wheel, andthey may be set at such degree of Obliquity as may be desirable. Theends of the floats next the wheel are connected by bolting, riveting, orclamping, and at the outer ends they are stayed to the wheel by stiistays Z), b, of

wood or metal. Similar stays may also be applied anywhere between theinner and outer ends of the floats. The points or vertices of the Vformed buckets which the several pairs of floats constitute, are toenter the water first so that the buckets divide the water like a wedge,and thus the buckets pass through the water like a wedge, but every partof the floats enters and leaves the water nearly edgewise so as to meetwith the least possible resistance, and it is only while making suchpart of the revolution as to exert their force in the proper directionto give a good propulsive effect that the buckets meet with anyconsiderable resistance, during which part of their revolution they takea good hold of the water, and all the power applied is expended inurging the vessel directly through the water. l/Vheels constructedaccording to this invention may be used in pairs at the sides of thevessel like the common paddle wheels or singly in the center or stern.

What I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is-Attaching the innermost or central portion of the buckets rigidly to asingle wheel or central rim a, and staying the outer portions thereof tothe said rim by stays b, substantially as described whereby t-heconstruction of the wheel is simplified and great strength is obtained.

JOHN UPHAM WALLIS.

Witnesses:

JOHN HARTMAN, A. J. PECK.

